Neighbors want fewer apartments at proposed Commercial Street site

Wednesday

Jul 30, 2014 at 12:01 AM

To ease traffic and parking concerns, a Weymouth developer is willing to eliminate an apartment unit from a proposed three-building complex at 1224 Commercial St., but some neighbors who spoke during and after a July 23 public hearing before the board of zoning appeals said they want fewer units in the design plan to avoid increased congestion.

By Ed Bakerebaker@wickedlocal.com

To ease traffic and parking concerns, a Weymouth developer is willing to eliminate an apartment unit from a proposed three-building complex at 1224 Commercial St., but some neighbors who spoke during and after a July 23 public hearing before the board of zoning appeals said they want fewer units in the design plan to avoid increased congestion.

Frank Baldisini, an attorney for developer James Miller, said his client’s decision to eliminate one unit in the complex is being done to ease the neighbors’ concerns about increased traffic and improve parking capacity on the property.

“We submitted a revised plan last week,” Baldisini said during the hearing. “We would like a DPW (department of public works) review.”

Baldisini said Miller’s revised plan would place three dwellings in a building near the front of the property and three units in a house at the back of the site.

A building on the side of the property would accommodate two units, according to Baldisini, who said he recently met with 12 neighbors concerning possible density and increased traffic to be caused by the proposed complex.

Weymouth Principal Planner Abigail McCabe said the town’s traffic engineer wants Miller to improve the ability of cars to turn around in the proposed complex by modifying the parking lot curbing between seven units.

“The curbing should come out more for (improving) the turning radius,” she said.

Commercial Street resident Patricia O’Leary said she is also concerned about how the site’s elevation poses challenges for fire trucks that need to have access to the site.

“The elevation is very steep,” she said following the hearing. “It’s a difficult spot.”

O’Leary said she hopes the facades on the apartments would have eye appeal if the board approves Miller’s revised site plan.

After the discussion ended, the board agreed to continue the hearing Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Whipple Senior Center.

Baldisini said he looks forward to receiving the DPW’s review of the site plan prior to the resumption of the hearing.

More information in this report is available in the July 30 edition of the Weymouth News.